Appliance for removing and installing overhead electric lamps



E. FOSTER 2, 73,092

- C. APPLIANCE FOR REMOVING AND INSTALLING OVERHEAD ELECTRIC LAMPS Oct, 39, 1951 Filed Oct. 5, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET l C. E. FOSTER OR RE Oct. 30, 1951 2,573,002 APPLIANCE F MOVING AND INSTALLING OVERHEAD ELECTRIC LAMPS Filed Oct. 5, 19.49

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPLIANCE FOR REMOVING AND INSTALL- ING OVERHEAD ELECTRIC-LAMPS Charles E. Foster, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application October 3, 1949, Serial No.-:119,356

Claims. 1

This invention relates to an appliancefor removing and installing overhead electric lamps.

More specifically speaking the invention pertains to an instrument carrying an applicator member furnished with suitable handle means for applying it to the lamps, said memberbeing of the nature of a suction cup which grips and releases the lamps to which it is applied, depending upon whether or not air suction is furnished to it from an air pump carried by the instrument.

At the present time a good deal of difiiculty is frequently met with in removing burnt out overhead electric lampsand in replacing them with new ones, hence the demand for an appliance that can be used to do this in a moresatisfactory manner.

The removal and replacement of overhead electric lamps of the long tubular type also presents special problems which it is one of the objects of this invention to meet satisfactorily.

One, among others, of the difiiculties heretofore experienced in the use of devices to remove overhead electric lamps, has arisen from using, without supplied suction, handle supported'elastic cups which have been pressed up against the lamps thus to expel the air'within the cup under the lamp to subsequently produce a suction to hold the lamp to the cup while being lowered. However such suction has often been found inadequate to serve the intended purpose, particularly when necessary to operate the cups by long handles, from which there is more danger of the lamps spilling out as they approach the floor.

An object of the invention is to provide, in an appliance for installing and removing overhead electric lamps, a suction controlled, ad'justably mounted applicator member which the operator can, at will, apply firmly to and release from various types and sizes of the electric lamps to be handled, in a safe manner notwithstanding the fragility of such. lamps.

Another object is to provide a device which can be used to handle thelamps in a safer manner during their removal and installing, lessening the danger of breaking them by dropping them on the floor with the resulting annoyance and danger produced by'the shattered glass.

In regard to one of the embodiments of the invention it is a more specific object to provide,

as accessories to the suction controlled member which is applicable to the lamps, a .pair of resilient arms positioned to cooperate with said suction member in removing and installing overhead electric lamps of the horizontally extending tubular type, thus enabling the operator, in amore satisfactory manner to shift such lamps longitudinally and give them a turning movement, as is necessary infreeing them for removal from, and in properly mounting them in, the installed position.

Along with other improved features the invention relates to a lamp handling deviceadaptabl'e to all sizes of lamps of the same design Without changing the applicator head. The efficient suction producible. by the device holds the lamps positively to the applicator head even when they are dusty or dirty, so that they are not prematurely released from the applicator head, which has been a defect of prior lamp handling devices. This eflicient suction also enables the op,-

erator firmly to grip and to loosen lamps when their sockets. have become rusty, making them hard to unscrew.

Another and more specific object is to provide, in an instrument for installingv overhead electric lamps being handled by a suction-controlled applicator member mounted upon an elongated'handle, .piston means which a workman can operate with one hand to produce suction in said applicator member whilehe applies a lamp thereto with his other hand (said handle at such time.

-,being in a low-lying position); and then, after temporarily latching the piston in such a position, can go to the opposite end of the handle,

and after additionally retracting the piston to produce a stronger suction if needed in the ap= plicator member, proceed to use the handleto elevate the lamp to its. mounted position, and

then release it by relieving the suction there:-'

elevation, dot-and-das'h lines outlining a lamp to which the device is being applied.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section on line 2-2 of. Fig. 1, the scale being enlarged.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the clamp for at. times holding the piston in a fixed relation tothe' device at the end of the suction stroke;

Fig. 4.illustrates, in side elevation, an alternat tive embodiment of the coupling shown Fig. "I, this view showing a means for flexing the main handle section of the tool in relation to the upper handle section, to facilitate the removal" or mounting of electric lamps requiring an angu lar application ofthe suction head to them.

his. '5 is a front elevation of a'modification' adapted to handle tubular lamps. In this view parts are shown in midsection and also parts are broken away to show underlying parts and to contract the view.

Fig. 6 is a section taken on angular line 66 of Fig. 5. In this view dotted lines indicate the outsprungposition of certain resilient parts.

Describing first the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the funnel shaped applicator member In is made of rubber or of a rubber like material, and has at its large end a circular mouth surrounded by a lip H which terminates in a thin edge owing to an internal bevel 1'2 being present along the inner side of the aforesaid mouth. By preference and as shown the wall of the member ID thickens toward its base. A shank I3 is thus provided for said member Ill, said shank having an axial bore through which extends the upper end portion Ma of an elongated handle M used to support and operate the member II! in installing and removing overhead electric lamps, for example, the iiaimp, l5 delineated by a dash-and-dot line in The applicator member In is so molded as-to provide an internal annular shoulder l3a at the upper end of its shank 13. Before said shank is molded onto the upper, screwthreaded end portion of the terminal (then disconnected) handle section Ma, a nut Isa may be screwed into place upon said handle section, to the position shown; and after the molding on of the shank, said nut may be screwed tightly up against said shank, and also a second nut It may be screwed down upon said shoulder l3a, thus making a better air seal between the shank and said handle section. These two nuts safeguard against air leakage that might otherwise occur after long use of the device.

.The lower end of said handle section Ma is shown secured to the main handle section Mb by means of a coupling sleeve l1, an air tight connection thus being made between the two tubular handle sections Ma and Mb.

Within the handle section Mb is shown a piston rod l8 carrying a piston head l9 of the bicycle pump type, said piston carrying a detachable operating crosshead 2| screwed onto its outer end.

By operating the piston structure which has been mentioned, while the applicator I0 is applied to a lamp IS, a suction may be produced within said applicator that will give the operator a hold upon the lamp so that by turning the handle M he can either unscrew said lamp to remove it, or can screw it onto its support in installing it.

. At times it is desirable to lock the piston rod l8- against retracting from a position wherein the piston head l9 maintains suction within the applicator member H]. For this purpose a resilient sheet metal clamping strip or clip 25 is provided approximating a V-shape and having through each limb, not far from its apex, a hole 26 to receive the piston rod l8. Said holes are of the same diameter, each being noticeably larger than the diameter-of the rod l8, but not too large for its edge portions to grip the rod l8- when the limbs of the clip are allowed to spring apart as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Hence when this clip is adjusted along the extended piston rod to-a contacting relation to the outer end of the handle, and the limbs of the 'clip then allowed to spring apart into a'gripping relation to the rod, the clip functions as a clamp in which adjacent rings telescope into each other.

In order to prevent air from entering between the aforesaid rings 3! a rubber or rubber-like sleeve 32 is placed closely around said rings, said sleeve being at one end connected in an air tight manner with a screwthreaded ring 33 that screws onto the pipe section Ma, and at its opposite end likewise connected with a ring 34 that screws onto the pipe section Mb. Said sleeve 32 considerably stifiens the connection 30. The angular adjustment of the applicator head afiorded by the use of the bendable section 30, adapts the device for handling lamps having angular mountings,

and also lamps in situations to which access is difiicult. This connection maybe adjusted to the desired shape, which it will retain with the amount of rigidity required. v

When used, said connection 30 is substituted for the coupler sleeve l1, and produces a connection between the handle sections Mb and Ma which allows their angular relations to be adjusted and then yieldably maintained in adjusted relation.

From the foregoing description the operation of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4 will for the most part be readily understood. However, it should be pointed out that, in applying the applicator to an overhead lamp it is only necessary to use a light pressure, so that there is no danger of breaking fragile lamps; the lamp being held securely to the applicator by suction as soon as the piston is operated. While thus held by suction it can readily be unscrewed, and then completely lowered to a place of safety before the suction is released, thus disengaging it from the applicator.

In Figs. 5 and 6 a second embodiment is shown wherein a modified tublar handle Mr carries a modified terminal section My attached by means of the internally screwthreaded coupler sleeve 11 already mentioned, and the piston parts [8, I9 and 2| are substantially the same; but most of the remaining parts are different. This modification is adapted to remove tubular neon tubes 39, indicated by dash-and-dot lines in Figs. 5 and 6.

In the latter views a rubber applicator head 40 is shown, consisting of a short tube 4| of a stocky, arcuate, triangular character, reinforced along the outer side of its bend by a longitudinal rib 42 integral therewith and having also a pair of longitudinal.innerreinforcing ribs. 43, all of said ribs being part of the molded rubber, or rubber-like. material of which the modified applicator is made. The mouth portion 45 of said applicator 40 is greatly broadened, as shown in Fig. 5, but its width is properly dimensioned to adapt it for being efliciently applied to the lamp tube 39 to be installed or removed. Thus a suction head of approximately triangular shape is provided, having an air supply passage through its shank 46, which is located at one of around the outer: end of the tubular :pipesection Each outer'end portion of the mouth 45 oi! the applicator .is :made internally con'cave as the remainder thereof, may be. applied in a snug, air sealing manner to tubular lamps being TIE- moved or installed.

In the modification now being described an auxiliary applicator means is shown consisting oi twin resilient arms 58*having, 'as viewed in Fig. 5,. converging lower'ends which are'in'tegral with a split ring 5] that carries a flange fii a at each side of its split, "a shortscrew "52 passing through the flanges thus provided and serving to clamp said ring 5| to the handle section My; Each of said arms st'has anouter end. portion which: is arcuated so that its concave side may beabutted' uniformly against the lamp tube-3i! to: be handled by the appliance preparatory to "the application of the aforesaid mouth 45 to said tube. Owing to their resiliency 'said spring arms 50 may be sprung, in relation-to the handle portion of the device, fromitheir full line position totheir dotted line positionshown in Fig. "6. The

utility of this resiliency of said arms will here inafter appear when the operation is further described.

shown in .Figs. 5 and 6, an intermediate portion of the handle section ld-a: is provided with a longitudinal slot 60 one side of which carriesa series of ratchet teeth 6 I, thus-providing arseries of downwardly facing stop shoulders which cooperate with an angular pin or finger 62 carried by and projecting laterally from the piston rod l8. Said pin is located within arms reach of the mouth 45 of the applicator "head, so that the former can be reached with one hand of the operator while he is using his other hand to hold against said mouth a lamp preparatory to applying an initial, holding suction to the lamp by moving said in 62 toward the lower end of the handle and then swinging said pin into a latched relation to an adjacent tooth or the ratchet teeth iii. The upper endcf the aforesaid slot '60 is located far enough away from the applicator head not to interfere with the suction function of the piston head [91 It isdesirable that, at the limit of the inward-stroke of the piston, said piston head closely approach the applicator head so that no superfluous air space between the piston head and applicator be present to lessen the positive; suction producing function of the piston.

From what has been said about the ratchet teeth 6| and pin 62 which cooperates with said ratchet teeth, it will now be understood, that whenever the operator finds it necessary to install a lamp in an overhead "fixture carried by a high ceiling (in which case the device "must be provided with a long handle), he will begin by placing the device with its handle portion in a low-lying position and, then, after (as already mentioned) applyin a lamp tube to the mouth 45 with one hand and using his other hand to operate the pin 52 in a manner to create a holding suction to said tube, swing the pin against a ratchet tooth 6| to maintain said suction. Thereupon he will move both hands toward the lower end of the handle and, preparatory to elevating the lamp toward the ceiling he will use the crosshead 2| of the piston first to extend farther out the piston (thus creating a stronger suction against the lamp tube safely to hold it to the applicator), and then turn the piston rod and its 'pin 62 to a locked relation to the ratchet 6 teeth 152:. Having done this he can use both his hands to :elevateandmount' the lamp tube.

In the operation of removing an overhead tubular lamp the workman, in making initial contactwith the lamp tube will cause the upper edges or .thearcuate parts 54 to engage one side 01' itheitubeat'pointsiinthesame horizontal plane as the axis of such tube. Then, by pressingsaid parts 54 against the tube he can, owing to their resiliency, swing them-sufficiently far away from the mouth 4501 the member 40 to clear theway for moving the upper end of the appliance in the opposite direction-and at the-same time up wardly, thus bringing the side of the lamp tube opposite to the arcuate arm ends 54' into correct engagement with the mouth of the a plicator preparatory to producing, by the operation of the piston, a suction that will firmly hold the tube tosaid mouth. Thereupon he can use the device to turn and shift longitudinally the tube in the manner necessary to release it from its mounting.

During both the installation and removal of the lamp tubes the spring arms 59 serve to hold the tubes being handled closely to the mouth 45 of the applicator member, thus safeguarding againstaccidental dropping oi the tubes owing to broken suction.

In removing a lamp tube the operator will not apply suction thereto with the device vertically positoned, as shown in Fig. 6, but will begin with the handle [4x inclined toward the right on an angle of about forty-five degrees, so that, after the suction has been applied, by swinging said handle leftward to'an angle of fort-y five degrees the applicator head and to retore normal air pressure thereto.

I claim:

1. Ina device of the kind described, an applica tor member having a mouth applicable to overhead electric lamps, an elongated handle upon one end portionof which said applicator member is mounted, and air suction means -carried by said handle 'andoperatively connected with said 'ap plicator member, said mouth of said applicator being greatly elongated in a direction'exten'ding substantially at right angles totlie length of said handle.

'2. The subject matter of claim 1 and means operating between said handle and said airsuctionmeans releasably to lock the latter in its extended suction producing position.

3. The subject matter of claim 1 and latching means spaced at least within arms length away from the aforesaid mouth and operating between said handle and air suction means temporarily to maintain the latter in suction producing position.

4. The subject matter of claim 1, and a spring arm carried by said handle adjacent to each of opposite sides of said applicator member to cooperate with themouth portion of the latter in the operations of installing and removing horizontally extending overhead tubular lamps, each of said arms having an arcuate lamp tube engaging outer end portions to form a seat for the lamp tube.

5. The subject matter of claim 4, and the length of said mouth of said applicator nearly bridging the space between said arcuate, lamp engaging end portions of said arms.

6. In a device of the kind described, an applicator member having a mouth applicable to overhead electric lamps, an elongated tubular handle member upon one end of which said applicator member is mounted; said mouth of said applicator being greatly elongated in a direction extending at substantially a right angle to the length of said handle, a piston furnished with a head having a working fit Within said handle to produce suction within said applicatormember when the mouth thereof is in its applied relation to an electric lamp to be removed or installed, said piston comprising a manually operable rod within said tubular handle and at all times projecting axially therefrom, and a locking pin carried by and projecting angularly from that portion of said rod which is contained within said tubular handle, said pin projecting through a longitudinal slot in said handle, said slot having a side portion furnished with ratchet teeth with whichsaidpinisengageable to maintain the piston in extended suction producingposition.

'7. In a device the kind described, an applicator member having a mouth applicable to overhead electric lamps, an elongated tubular handle member upon one end of which said applicator member is mounted, said mouth of said applicator being greatly elongated in a direction extending at substantially a right angle to the length of said handle, and a piston furnished with a head having a working fit; within said handle to produce suction within said applicator member when the mouth thereof is in its applied relation to an electric lamp to be removed or installed, said piston being manually operable to produce said suction, and means operating between said handle and piston releasably to lock the latter in its extended suction producing position.

8. In a device of the kind described, an applicator member having a mouth applicable to overhead electric lamps, an elongated tubular handle member upon one end of which said applicator member is mounted; said mouth of said applicator being greatly elongated in a direction extending at substantially a right anglerto the length of said handle, a piston furnished with a head having a working fit within said handle to produce suction within said applicator member when the mouth thereof is in its applied relation to an electric lamp to be removed or installed, said piston comprising a manually operable rod within said tubular hande and at all times projecting axially therefrom, and a locking pin carried by and projecting angularly from that portion of'said rod which is contained within said tubular handle, said pin projecting through a longitudinal lot in said handle, said slot having a side portion furnished with ratchet teeth with which said pin is engageable to maintain the piston'in extended suction producing position, said slot being wide enough to enable the operator, by turning the piston rod, to move said pin into and out of engagement with said ratchet teeth.

9. In a device of the kind described, an applicator member having a mouth applicable to overhead electric lamps, an elongated tubular handle member upon one end of which said applicator member is mounted, said mouth of said applicator being greatly elongated in a'direction extending at substantially a right angle to the length of said handle, and a piston furnished witha head having a working fit within said handle to produce suction within said applicator member when the mouth thereof is in its applied relation to an electric lamp to be removed or installed, said piston being manually operable to produce suction, and latching means spaced at least within arms length away from the aforesaid mouth and operating between the handle and piston temporarily to maintain the latter in suction producing position.

10. In a device of the kind described, an applicator member having a mouth applicable to overhead electric lamps, an elongated tubular handle member upon one end of which said applicator member is mounted, a piston furnished with a head having a working fit within said handle to produce suction within said applicator member when the mouth thereof is in its applied relation to an electric lamp to be removed or installed, said piston comprising a manually op-.

erable rod within said tubular handle and at all times projecting axially therefrom, and a locking pin carried by and projecting angularly from that portion of said rod which is contained within said tubular handle, said pin projecting through a longitudinal slot in said handle, said slot having a side portion furnished with ratchet teeth with which said pin is engageable to maintainthe piston in extended suction producing position, said slot being wide enough to enable the operator, by turning said piston rod, to move said pininto and out of engagement with said ratchet teeth.

CHARLES E. FOSTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 76,563 Austria May 26, 1919 

